Network function virtualization

Network operators and service providers often face serious challenges with the variety of (proprietary) hardware-based appliances. Launching new network services often requires yet another hardware appliance and accommodating such boxes is becoming increasingly difficult (finding space and power), in addition to the complexity of integrating and deploying these physical devices in a network. Another challenge is when these hardware-based appliances reach their end-of-life, as hardware lifecycles are becoming shorter - with acceleration in innovation, thus reducing the return on investment, requiring often forklift changes and upgrades while it can become inherently harder to deploy new services. Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) is about addressing such issues.

Background

Recent activities in this domain have been undertaken by a newly formed industry specifications group, under ETSI, called "Network Functions Virtualization".

See also

• Software Defined Networking

External links

• Network Function Virtualization (NFV)

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